Apparatus for producing a tobacco rod



Get. 21, 1969 H. KOCHALSKI APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A TOBACCO ROD Original Filed Aug. 30, 1963 Fig.1

INVENTOR: HORST KOCHALSKI his ATTORNEY APPARATUS F01 PRODUGNG A TOBACCO ROD Horst Kochalski, Hamhurg-Lohbrugge, Germany, assignor to Hauni Werke Koerber & Co. K.G., Hamburg- Bergdorf, Germany Application Aug. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 306,655, now Patent No. 3,298,376, dated Jan. 17, 1967, which is a continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 826,055, .l'uly 19, 1959. Divided and this application Jan. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 608,397

lint. Cl. A24c 5/20 US. Cl. 13184 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE Apparatus for producing a continuous tobacco rod wherein a housing including an annular upper wall and a lower wall rotates about a vertical axis. Shredded tobacco is admitted through an inlet in the upper wall and is propelled by centrifugal force radially outwardly to form an annular body in an internal chamber of the housing. A cutter extends into the housing and rotates about a horizontal axis to sever from the annular body a continuous rod which is discharged tangentially of the housing and is conveyed to a wrapping mechanism.

Cross-reference to related application This is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 306,655, filed on Aug. 30, 1963, now Patent No. 3,298,376 granted on J an. 17, 1967. The application Ser. No. 306,655 is a continuation-impart of Ser. No. 826,055, filed July 19, 1959, and now abandoned.

Background of the invention The present invention relates to apparatus for producing a tobacco rod.

It has been proposed heretofore in the production of tobacco rods, for the purpose of making therefrom cigarettes, to feed shredded tobacco onto a rotary disk and to subject the tobacco on the disk to the action of centrifugal force, whereupon the tobacco mass is discharged tangentially of the rotary disk in the form of a rod which is conveyed to the wrapping mechanism of a rod cigarette machine.

Such apparatus will eflect a precompression or initial compacting of the rotating tobacco mass. However, it is not at all certain that the apparatus will produce a mass of uniform density and cross section because it is practically impossible to feed to the rotary disk shredded tobacco with a requisite degree of uniformity.

It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus which can produce a rotating tobacco body of uniform density and which continuously maintains the rotating tobacco body by feeding thereto loose tobacco particles so that it is possible to separate (i.e., to sever) from the rotating body a compact rod whose density is uniform throughout and remains unchanged until that time when the rod is subdivided into sections of desired length.

It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus which can sever a uniform tobacco rod from a mass of shredded tobacco in such a way that the rod will have a predetermined cross section and uniform density and can be fed directly to a cigarette rod forming band.

Summary of the invention The invention resides in the provision of an apparatus which is utilized for continuous production of a tobacco rod and comprises a pair of annular walls which are arranged to rotate about a preferably vertical axis and define between themselves an annular tobacco receiving nited States Patent 0 3,473,538 Patented Oct. 21, 1969 space having an inlet portion and an annular outlet portion located radially outwardly of the inlet portion, means for feeding tobacco particles through the inlet portion and into the annular space whereby the particles rotate with the annular walls and form in the annular space a rotating annular body which advances toward the outlet portion, a cutter arranged to rotate in the annular space about an axis which is normal to the aforementioned axis and extending into the rotating body to sever therefrom a continuous tobacco rod, wall means for closing the annular outlet portion along a substantial part thereof whereby the remainder of such outlet portion forms a delivery opening for the tobacco rod which is severed by the cutter, and channel means having an intake portion registering with the delivery opening and extending substantially tangentially of the annular space. The channel means includes a plurality of walls at least one of which is constituted by a travelling belt arranged to advance the tobacco rod which issues from the delivery opening. The walls of the channel means preferably define a substantially rectangular passage for the tobacco rod and one side of such passage is open.

The wall means which surrounds a substantial part of the outlet portion preferably comprises an endless belt a portion of which is trained around and is driven by the annular walls. Another portion of this belt can constitute one travelling wall of the channel means.

The improved apparatus of the present invention, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of a specific embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Brief description of the drawing FIG. 1 is a horizontal section through an apparatus which embodies the invention, the section being taken in the direction of arrows as seen from the line II of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 2 is a vertical section as seen in the direction of arrows from the line IIII of FIG. 1.

Description of the preferred embodiment The drawing shows an apparatus which is utilized to produce a tobacco rod of constant density and uniform cross section. The apparatus comprises a rotary knife or cutter in the form of a disk which rotates in a vertical plane about a horizontal axis and is adjacent to one side surface of the tobacco rod. The other three surfaces of the tobacco rod are bounded by suitable travelling walls which form a channel and are preferably constituted by belts.

The means for feeding a stream of loose tobacco particles comprises a fixedly mounted hopper 101 located above the central portion of a circular disk 102 driven 1 by an electric motor 103 and rotating in a horizontal plane and in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1. The disk 102 is spaced from the lower end of the hopper 101, and the latter feeds tobacco particles at the same average rate at which the particles which are converted into a continuous tobacco rod are being removed from the apparatus. The disk 102 is concentric and substantially coplanar with a first annular wall 104 which resembles a flat ring and is located below a second annular wall 105. The marginal portions of the walls 104, 105 define between themselves an annular tobacco receiving space. The upper and lower sides of such annular space are respectively bounded by the walls 105, 104 and its inner side is open so that it constitutes an inlet portion arranged to receive tobacco particles which are propelled radially outwardly by the rapidly revolving disk 102. The

major portions of walls 104, 105 are surrounded by a fixed cylindrical wall 106 and the walls 104, 105 are respectively driven by a pulley 109 and a gear 110 both mounted on a vertical shaft 107 which is driven by a prime mover here shown as an electric motor 108. The walls 104, 105 rotate in the same direction as and may, but need not, be driven at the speed of the disk 102. The disk 162 can be rigid with the wall 104 so that the motor 103 can be dispensed with.

A belt 111 which is trained around rolls 112 engages the peripheries of the walls 104, 105 along the inner side of the fixed wall 106 to seal the major part of the annular outlet portion of the annular space between the walls 104, 105. The remainder of such annular outlet portion constitutes a delivery opening for the tobacco rod. The belt 111 is driven by the annular walls 104, 105 and the wall 106 constitutes a rigid back support for that portion of this belt which is trained around the annular walls. Another belt 113 is trained around rolls 114 and travels at the speed of the belt 111. The stringers of the belt 113 are located in vertical planes. A third belt 115 is trained around rolls 116 (only one shown in FIG. 1) and its upper stringer is located in a horizontal plane beneath the adjacent stringers of the belts 111 and 113. Portions of the belts 111, 113, 115 constitute the walls of a channel or chute which is tangential to the peripheries of the walls 104, 105 and which defines a rectangular passage for the tobacco rod, one side of such passage being open. In a plane which is substantially tangent to the walls 104, 105, there is mounted a rotating knife or cutter 117 driven about a horizontal axis by an electric motor 118. The blade of the cutter 117 is located in a vertical plane in the interior of the entire housing and such blade extends into the annular body of shredded tobacco radially beyond the space between the marginal portions of the walls 104, 105 in response to rotation of the disk 102. The plane of the cutter 117 coincides with the plane of that portion of the belt 111 which constitutes one wall of the aforementioned channel and the intake end of the channel is adjacent to and registers with the delivery opening of the annular space between the walls 104, 105.

The hopper 101 feeds a continuous stream of loose tobacco particles and such particles land on the central portion of the rotating disk 102 to be subjected to the action of centrifugal force and to be hurled in radial directions through the open inlet portion of and into the annular space formed by the marginal portions of the walls 104, 105. The belt 111 bounds the outer side of the annular tobacco body therein. The cross section of the tobacco body in the annular space between the walls 104, 105 exceeds the cross section of the tobacco rod which is to be produced in the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2. The radially outer portion of the annular body is precompressed by being urged against the inner side of the belt 111 and also by being forced into the space between the marginal portions of the walls 104, 105. Such precompressed portion is separated from the radially inner portion of the annular body by the cutter 117 and leaves the annular space by being propelled tangentially into the intake end of the channel formed by the belts 111,

113, 115. The blade of the cutter 117 trims two surfaces of the tobacco rod because one surface (which travels along the straight portion of the belt 111) is trimmed just before the tobacco rod enters the channel and the other surface (which travels along the belt 113) was trimmed during the preceding revolution of the walls 104. 105. This will be readily understood since the tobacco which is being separated from the rod (i.e., the remainder of the revolving tobacco body in the annular space between the marginal portions of the Walls 104, travels along the inner side of the belt 111 and its peripheral surface remains trimmed while moving toward and along the belt 113. Thus, a single cutter 117 can trim two sides of the tobacco rod by first trimming one side of the tobacco rod during a first revolution of the precompressed tobacco body and by thereupon trimming the opposite side of the tobacco rod during the next revolution of the tobacco body.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for converting a tobacco filler stream which contains a surplus of tobacco into a tobacco rod stream, a combination comprising a first elongated belt conveyor arranged to advance said filler stream toward a trimming zone and including a travelling delivery portion in the region of said trimming zone; a second elongated belt conveyor including a travelling receiving portion located in the region of said trimming zone and arranged to receive a rod stream from said trimming zone; a third elongated belt conveyor including a travelling portion extending at least from said delivery portion to said receiving portion and arranged to assist in transferring tobacco from said first conveyor to said second conveyor, said travelling portions having longitudinal axes and two of said axes being located in substantially the same plane; and trimming means for removing the surplus from the filler stream in said trimming zone so that the filler stream is thereby converted into a rod stream.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein at least two of said travelling portions are located in mutually inclined planes.

3. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein two of said travelling portions are fiat.

4. A combination as defined in claim 3, wherein said flat portions are normal to each other.

5. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said apparatus is vertically arranged and one of said travelling portions is located at a level below at least one other travelling portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,181,229 ll/l939 Gooch l3l- 4 2,629,385 2/1953 Kochalski l3lt 6 2,629,386 2/1953 Kochalski l3164 2,835,297 5/1958 Kochalski l3l84 JOSEPH S. REICH, Primary Examiner 

